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백사자는 still hot on the heels of the party. Euna let out a sigh, not bothering to hide her fatigue. Fortunately, the fog was thick around them. It seemed to be throwing the monster off, allowing them to escape undetected so far.

‘Just a little further…!’

At the entrance to the maze, she thought they would soon see the massive door to the labyrinth. She believed that with just a bit more distance, they could shake off Snowell and escape Neverland, but then she felt an odd sense of unease.

“……?”

That unease was sound. It was an unpleasant noise, gritty like something gnawing away, noise. Euna, instinctively turning her head, narrowed her eyes. If her hearing wasn’t disturbed right now… with a sinking feeling, she approached to confirm and saw the bodies of two fallen figures.

“Ok-yeon Road…”

Euna muttered in a serious tone. Unlike her, who had joined with Dawn in the maze, Kim Joo-seop, who said he would join the party, lay cold as a corpse alongside the bishop’s lifeless body. The burrowing insect that was gnawing at the corpses hissed at Euna, and she stomped on the leaping creature, crushing it.

“Seon-ja, what are you doing?”

In a moment of urgency, Kang Tae-ho asked, puzzled by Euna’s delay, but his expression twisted just like hers upon seeing the two bodies.

“……Damn.”

— A body frozen cold. No way someone as skilled as the Archer Ok-yeon would have died in a maze where the party had already made headway, not when they had the talent. They wouldn’t have sent someone that proficient out alone, after all. The sword wound piercing his chest was evidence enough.

“…Shit.”

The bishop of the temple. Ok-yeon’s Road. The fact that both leaders fell tragically dead made Kang Tae-ho pinch his forehead. — At the very least, it was certain that Kang Hoon had escaped before them. Kang Tae-ho gritted his teeth as he tried to lift the two bodies, only for the ceiling to collapse and crush them.

“……!”

Bang— Unable to restrain his fury, he swung his arms wildly, bringing the wall down. The collapse worsened. Euna shook her head, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“This isn’t how you both wanted it, to get stuck here while we dilly-dally.”

“What do you know…?”

What do you know, he was about to retort, but took a breath before speaking and lowered his head.

“…Huh. Guess you’re right. Sorry. Let’s hurry.”

Euna just nodded in reply. Even in this moment, the White Lion was still pursuing them. — After running and running, the two finally reached the door of the maze. But they frowned simultaneously.

“What the hell…”

The ceiling had caved in, leaving wreckage blocking their path. Sitting atop the debris, Kang Tae-jun got up as if he’d been waiting.

“Everyone else made it out. Now it’s our turn. Is there anyone left?”

“None. We’re the last ones.”

Kang Tae-jun nodded at that, but Kang Tae-ho tilted his head. The door to the maze was firmly shut, and the fallen debris blocked it—how did they manage to escape? That question vanished as he caught sight of the exhausted Fairy-type Monster.

“Kkyuuwuu~”

—Alpha’s companion. Kang Tae-ho nodded in understanding of the situation. Kang Tae-jun met the weary and staggering Fairy-type Monster’s gaze.

“Can we do this?”

“…Kkyuuwuu~”

It would’ve been nice to have a potion. Whether potions worked on a Fairy-type Monster was questionable, but then the White Lion caught sight of them and gleamed its eyes. The hands of the three connected without hesitation—

“―――!”

—In the next moment, they found themselves inside the maze. Beyond the door, the Lion roared, seemingly outraged. And as if to finally collapse from exhaustion, the weary Fairy-type Monster climbed onto Euna’s shoulder, exhaling a rainbow of colors before dozing off.

“Well, that’s impressive.”

To think one could move not alone but together… Kang Tae-ho shook his head. He’d known, but this made it clear just how much Alpha’s escape had relied on that Fairy-type Monster.

“…Eun-gong. Good job.”

Euna, knowing he wouldn’t hear it anyway, turned her head. Out of the maze’s doorway, the monster began banging on it. — It wouldn’t take long for it to clear the debris and open the door. The three nodded at each other.

“Let’s go.”

In the maze— After running for a bit, broken bones began to rattle around chaotically. It wasn’t the dungeon shaking. They were regenerating. Soon enough, they would rise again. Without thinking, the three stiffened their expressions.

— They weren’t wary of the still-fractured skeletons. This was the maze’s end. They had just barely crossed the threshold, but what if it was the entrance? The skeletons that had crumbled earlier would have recovered by now. What if the leading party encountered a Steel Giant?

Naturally, their pace quickened. Suddenly, the maze’s door flew apart, and the White Lion rushed in, crushing the regenerating skeletons as it bore down on them. Even with its head touching the ceiling, it didn’t stop. Although the distance hadn’t closed, the monster’s obsession was terrifying.

Ahead was a silhouette approaching— frowning at the retreating clan members. They had joined forces, but their reason for retreating was clear. Countless skeletons were chasing them. Among them was a particularly enormous blue giant.

“…Steel Giant.”

Kang Tae-ho and Kang Tae-jun gripped their swords tightly. As the two charged in, the Steel Giant swung its arm, but the brothers struck first at its ankles. They weren’t cutting with magic; it was more like wielding a blunt weapon, but that was enough. The Steel Giant lost its balance, toppling over and sending the pursuing skeletons sprawling.

Yet, it was insufficient to pass through the endless wave of monsters. With a loud roar, Snowell appeared behind them. In front was a swarm of skeletons. Behind them, the White Lion was howling, leaving them with only one choice. Kang Tae-ho dashed forward, swiftly beheading one of the skeletons, and then grabbed the hand of the staggering skeleton about to fall.

“Follow me!”

They had to clear a path before the Steel Giant got back up. Like a dance, he swung the skeleton around, and every time one broke, he grabbed another to clear their way. It appeared smooth on the surface, but that was hardly the case. Time was running out, and the White Lion was closing in fast. The Steel Giant they had barely taken down was also rising. The instant the enormous foot of the pursuing White Lion cast a shadow, the Fairy-type Monster stirred awake with great effort.

“Kkyuuwuu…”

—As if eagerly welcoming something amid all this chaos.

***

The maze’s fog couldn’t hinder the wolf. When it tracked down the party with detection, only one great White Lion stood in front of the closed door to the maze.

‘The party…’

It seemed the Fairies had crossed through with teleportation. — In the collapsing dungeon, the White Lion began smashing through the debris. Seeing that, I nodded.

‘It’s tough to break through that door.’

Using the void, it could be devoured. But it would take time to consume that giant door. Before then, the dungeon would crumble away. The moment I maintained my stealth and climbed on the White Lion’s back, Snowell, having reached the door, tilted its head in confusion. Still, it seemed unable to spot me hiding in the shadows, and Snowell kept tilting its head, raising its front leg.

Bang- Bang— Bang—!

Every time the White Lion swung its leg, the door staggered, and with just three kicks, it flew apart. When I spread my detection widely, I could sense the skeletons regenerating and writhing again. While I was momentarily contemplating, Snowell wormed its way through the cracks of the maze, determined to catch up with the party. I marveled at its determination before nodding at the sight of the collapsing Steel Giant.

‘Fortunately…’

I could finally take comfort in seeing Dawn’s clan members—and the Fairy-type Monster sitting on Euna’s shoulder.

‘…And…’

In the distance, I spotted the flickering boundaries of the dungeon. A thin veil that seemed like it could close at any moment. Realizing there was no more time to waste, the White Lion slammed its massive paw down. — It was impossible to block Snowell’s attack. Therefore, I spread shadows to blind it. No matter how tough the rocky hide might be.

‘It won’t make its eyes solid too.’

As I spread the shadows to cover its eyes, the void devoured the White Lion’s sight. There would be no pain, but an anxiety of sudden darkness caused the struggling Snowell’s paw to strike not the party but the Steel Giant instead. With tremendous force, it was knocked back into the wall, and the party seized the moment to advance.

‘Got it.’

It was a straight path, so even if their sight was compromised, it would still chase after them, but it would have to hesitate. There was a greed to consume Snowell, but what was urgent now was the party—and me as well.

There was no more room for delay. I burst forth from the shadows and dashed between the skeletons. As Kang Tae-ho and Kang Tae-jun cleared the way, I jumped up to prevent the Steel Giant from rising. I leaped and leaped again, landing on the Steel Giant’s shoulder blade. Sensing my presence, it swung its arm wildly, but I triggered a gust of wind to escape. The blue giant that had pursued me was half-gone. In the end, it could no longer support its head and crashed down helplessly.

‘It won’t die, but…’

It shouldn’t catch up now. As Euna hurried along, I exchanged glances with the tired Fairy-type Monster, which struggled to open its eyes. It seemed its magical energy was depleted, likely from working hard to help. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration for it.

“Hurry! Get in quickly!”

Thanks to the efforts of Kang Tae-ho and Kang Tae-jun, the party finally reached the boundary of the dungeon. A gap that had faded to the point where it could close at any moment. Kang Tae-ho threw the skeleton he was holding aside and grabbed a clan member by the back of the neck.

“Wha, what?!”

“No time, just land safely!”

As if tossing around a ball, he began throwing them one by one. As screams echoed after each throw, when everyone was finally out, Kang Tae-ho glanced back only to grit his teeth as the ceiling collapsed completely.

At that moment, the boundary of the dungeon vanished without a second’s delay. Ultimately, as the ceiling of Neverland crumbled away, the Lion let out a mournful roar.

“―――!”

***

Kang Tae-ho wiped the sweat from his forehead. When he looked back, the dungeon was completely shut. It had been close, but now, nothing would emerge, be it skeletons or Snowell. The Neverland raid had turned out to be a failure, but it was over for now. Kang Tae-ho tilted his head to gaze at the sky, then let out a sigh and muttered curses.

“Shit.”

— His father, Kang Hoon, wasn’t in the maze. Considering Kim Joo-seop’s death, he must have escaped long ago. Kang Tae-ho ground his teeth.

“Is everyone okay?”

At Kang Tae-jun’s question, the clan members looked around, nodding. Aside from the deceased, everyone had managed to escape. Confirming their safety, Kang Tae-jun calmly nodded and approached Kang Tae-ho.

“What’s wrong?”

Was something wrong? As he stared into his brother’s eyes, he realized it wasn’t directed at him—it was oddly elsewhere. Following his brother’s gaze, Kang Tae-ho muttered in disbelief.

“…Shit? What the hell is this.”

Kang Tae-jun let out a short sigh.

“Come out.”

Soon, Kang Tae-jun, holding a half-broken sword, spoke coldly.

“Or do you want to be dragged out?”

The party, puzzled by Kang Tae-jun’s actions, swallowed hard as he uttered a name.

“Alpha.”

Where Kang Tae-jun’s gaze rested— there, the shadow of Kang Tae-ho flickered ominously.

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